COMMODORE DISASTER

SS Commodore, ocean tug.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, January 5, 1897.

COMMODORE DISASTER.

Arrival of the Shipwrecked Filibusterers.

SEVEN OF THE CREW PERISHED.

Captain Murphy and Novelist Crane Among Those Who Beached Florida In Safety—Latest

 Dispatches From Havana—Cuban Gossip.

   JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 5—Captain  Edward Murphy, commander of the lost steamer Commodore; Stephen Crane, the novelist; C. B. Montgomery, cook, and William Higgins, an oiler, with four Cubans arrived here from Daytona.

   From the survivors it is learned that the men of the Commodore left the ship in four boat loads. Twelve Cubans embarked in the first, four more in the second, seven Americans in the third, and four, including Captain Murphy, Crane, Higgins and Montgomery, in the fourth. The first three were lifeboats, the last a 10-oared dingy.

   The men in the third boat lingered in the neighborhood of the sinking steamer and for some reason the small boat foundered and sank.

   The men were ordered to swim back to the steamer, where they improvised a raft. This the captain attempted to tow to shore, 14 miles away. Just as they started it was observed that a negro on the raft was drawing himself along the tow line to the dingy. The captain realized that this meant death to all, and he ordered the raft cast adrift.

   He shouted to the men to return to the vessel, which they attempted to do, but when near the Commodore it gave a lurch, sank, and the men on the raft were drawn down in the vortex and did not rise again. They were James Redigan, engineer; E. B. Ritter, assistant engineer; Frank Grain, mate; W. A. G. Smith, fireman; Modesto Leon, Cuban pilot and guide, and Jonas Franklin and Murray Nobles, two colored firemen.

1893 map of Cuba.

SPANISH OPERATIONS.

Number of Skirmishes Reported With Cubans In the Hills.

   HAVANA, Jan. 5.—General Melquizo, with the Valladolid battalion, has reconnoitered and surprised an insurgent camp at Jagua, killing three insurgents.

   Detachments from the column reconnoitered the hills of Capiazo, Arroyo de Agua, Pincon de Isabel, Lena Cruz, San Joaquin and Pinar, burning over 400 huts and destroying everything likely to afford food to the insurgents or their horses.

   South of the hills of Lajas and Pilotos, the troops surprised the camp of Ranchuelo, the insurgent leader, killing three of his followers.

   The correspondents of The Impartial, Heraldo and Correspondencia of Madrid have received orders from their respective newspapers to retire from this city to Porto Rico and there await further orders. The newspapers have taken this step in view of the prosecution commenced against them by the government for severely criticizing the Cuban administration and the conduct of the campaign against the insurgents.

   The steamer Santo Domingo has arrived here from Spain with 14 officers and 400 soldiers on board.

   The steamer Julia from Santiago de Cuba brings Colonel Pavia, 24 officers and 670 soldiers, and the Manuela from the same port brings 53 sick.

   General Luque reports from Cienfuegos that he has had an encounter with 1,500 insurgents under Maximo Gomez at Marroquin,  which is in Santa Clara province, west of the central trocha. The attempt of the insurgents to pass, General Luque says, was prevented at Santa Teresa and at several other points.

   At Santa Teresa 400 insurgent cavalry attacked the Spanish convoy and were met with grape shot which caused great destruction.

   It is estimated that the insurgents lost over 100. The loss of the column was one captain and one soldier killed and 13 soldiers wounded.

   The Spanish convoy arrived at Arroyo Blanco, which is on the boundary line between Puerto Principe and Santa Clara.

   Mr. Olney, secretary of state, has sent an order to United States Consul General Lee to visit Henry Delgado, the correspondent of the New York Mail and Express who was captured as a political prisoner and is sick and confined in the hospital of San Ambrosia.

   Dr. Burgess, physician to the United States consul having obtained permission from the government, visited Mr. Delgado and found the condition of the patient slightly improved.

   It is said the prisoner Oscar Cespedes will be transferred from Matanzas to the Cabanas fortress in Havana at the request of General Lee.

   There is a report current that Senator John Sherman, chairman of the senate committee on foreign relations, is expected in Havana.

Battle In the Philippines.

   MADRID, Jan. 5.—Official dispatches from Manila chronicle a battle on the Pasig river, where the Philippine rebels were trying to obstruct navigation. The Spanish loss was 10 men killed and 20 wounded, while the insurgents had 32 killed and many wounded. Thirteen conspirators were shot at Manila yesterday.

Fridtjof Nansen, arctic explorer.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

What the Old Year Gave Us.

   The year 1896 was the most unfortunate financially the people of the United States have known for a long time. Its crowning blow came in the closing days of December, when a large number of banks and business firms failed in Chicago and the region commercially dependent on it. The disaster was felt throughout all the northern part of the country.

   On the other hand, however, 1896 was marked by splendid advancement in science and industry. The greatest achievement of all, one which practically opened up a new world to science and the arts, was the discovery, early in the year, by Professor Roentgen of Wurzburg, Germany, that the ultraviolet rays in the spectrum would photograph solid bodies that are inside of other solid bodies. It is thus possible to examine and photograph the skeleton inside the human body, coins inside a leather pocketbook, etc. The gain to surgery from this discovery is incomputable. Hundreds of bullets have already been located by its means and bone fractures have been accurately examined.

   Nansen, the Norwegian, came within 225 miles of reaching the north pole itself during 1896, almost 200 miles closer to it than anybody ever was before. If he had had dogs and sledges, it is his opinion he could have quite reached it.

   Finally, one of the greatest victories in the world of industry was achieved in the United States. It is the transmitting of power electrically from Niagara falls to Buffalo—24 miles—and making the great cataract run Buffalo's trolley cars.

   ◘ The statement that the powers of Europe have confidentially informed President Cleveland that the said powers will not be on our side in case we choose to recognize Cuban independence gives rise to the serious question in the plain American mind how it comes to be any of Europe's business whether we recognize Cuba or not. Perhaps we are not good at understanding diplomatic questions, but do we interfere when the powers unite to shove reforms down the sultan's throat?

   ◘ The country congratulates Kentucky on a governor who has grit enough to rail out [sic] the militia to stop lynchings. Lynch law is a disgrace to any community where there is civil law enough to dispose of even the most desperate criminals. Hanging by due legal process kills a murderer as dead as when he is strung up to a tree, and private citizens do not then have the crime of murder on their conscience, the rest of their lives.

   ◘ An important closing event of the year 1896 was the celebration by Mr. Gladstone in good health and spirits and with unclouded intellectual power of his eighty-seventh birthday.

BURGLAR THEORY EXPLODED.

Glass In the Door of Mager & Co.'s Cellar Broken by a Fireman.

   Since the early Monday morning fire in the Schermerhorn building, [Cortland], there have been rumors of attempted burglary followed by incendiarism, but this theory is pretty thoroughly disposed of in view of the fact that the glass in the rear cellar door was broken in by Mr. Frank J. Burns, a member of the Emerald Hose, and one of the first men on the scene. The door of the cellar is reached through a small hatchway was a grating, which had been removed by Officer Gooding before Mr. Burns arrival. In the upper half of the door there were four lights of glass. Mr. Burns said to-day that he was at this door before any water arrived and that he found all of the glass in the door whole. He saw a blaze through the glass and with a small stick he broke all four lights of glass just the instant the stream of water arrived, not caring to break them before, fearing that the flames would burst out upon him. It is true that there are knife marks on this window frame, but they are fresh, and must have been made by some one since the fire, for had they been made before they would have been colored with smoke, as the other door swings inward and the smoke at that place was very dense.

Village Fathers.

   The board of village trustees held a regular meeting last night at which the subject of the proposed street railroad franchise on Elm-st. was informally discussed, but no action taken. No special business was transacted. Routine work was done and several bills were audited.

BREVITIES.

   —The case of Harrington against McNish is on trial before Justice Dowd and a jury to-day.

   —New advertisements to-day are—C. F. Brown, Prescriptions, page 7; Bingham Bros. & Miller, Closed for a Few Days, page 7.

   —Mr. W. J. Greenman of Cortland was awarded first premium on five varieties of fowls at the poultry show in Madison Square Garden, New York, last week.

   —A joint-installation of the new officers of the G. A. R., W. R. C., and S. O. V., will be held in G. A. R. hall in the Burgess block at 7:30 o'clock to-morrow night.

   —Through a misunderstanding the Emerald Hose banquet was yesterday announced to occur to-night instead of one week from to-night, Jan. 12, at the Cortland House.

   —An insurance adjustor has settled the loss of John J. Lewis lodge, Cortland Encampment and the Rebekah branch with the trustees of the different branches to-day, in a manner that is perfectly satisfactory.

   —Mrs. Lavina Babcock died this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Frank H. Rice, 225 Railroad-st. The cause of death was dropsy of the heart and her age was 72 years. The funeral arrangements are not yet completed.

   —Mrs. Marilla T. Nichols, wife of Oscar E. Nichols, died at 4 o'clock this morning at her home at the age of 52 years and 7 months. The funeral will be held at the family residence in Cincinnatus on Thursday at 1 o'clock P. M. Burial at Willet.

   —The following Cortland poultry men are represented at the poultry show at Binghamton this week: W. J. Greenman, Patrick Dempsey, George V. Clark, T. K. Norris, Samuel Van Bergen and B. T. Niver. Their birds were sent to Binghamton this morning.

   —Mr. J. M. Blanchard, the manager of "A Railroad Ticket," which will be seen in the Opera House Thursday evening, is a former Cortland boy, having been born in this village and spent all his life here and in the town of Solon up to 1889, when he went South. He is a cousin of Mr. F. C. Parsons of The Democrat,

   —The attention of Justice Dowd and jury was occupied yesterday with the case of Maria Craft against Emmett Card. Plaintiff seeks to recover for a alleged  breach of contract. George B. Jones appeared for plaintiff and Riley Champlin for defendant. The case was finished and attorneys given one week in which to submit briefs.

TRUXTON.

   TRUXTON, Jan. 4.—Mrs. Mary Miller and daughter, Miss Perle Skeele of Syracuse, spent Saturday and Sunday with Mrs. O. D. Patrick.

   Prof. and Mrs. Sanford J. Ellsworth, recently married at Eau Clair, Wis., were the guests last Tuesday and Wednesday of Mr. C G. Smith at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Smith in this village. Prof. and Mrs. Ellsworth were present at the party in Woodward's hall Wednesday evening, where they met many old friends. They returned to Cortland Thursday morning and left on the late train Friday for Far Rockaway, where Prof. Ellsworth is principal of the high school.

   Mr. Clyde L. Pierce of Cortland spent yesterday with his aunt, Mrs. A. W.

Pierce.

   Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Bosworth recently visited friends in Syracuse.

   Mrs. J. C. Nelson spent Saturday and Sunday with friends in town, returning this morning to Albany.

   Attorney C. G. Smith returned Saturday morning to Buffalo after spending a pleasant week with his friends here.

   The Grangers installed their officers for 1897 last Friday evening, after which they enjoyed one of their bountiful suppers.

   Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Pierce visited their daughters in Marathon Saturday.

   Miss Floy Poole of Westcott's store spent New Year's day at her home in Lincklaen.

   Mr. Edwin M. Hulbert of Cortland was in town Saturday.

   Another very pleasant party was held at Woodward's hall last Wednesday evening, McDermott's orchestra from Cortland furnishing the music, which was much enjoyed by those present.

   Mr. and Mrs. H. de Clercq of Cortland visited at their parents' Saturday and Sunday.

   Dr. and Mrs. Deane entertained company from out of town last week.

   Mr. Delevan W. Carr, a former and much respected resident of this town, died at his daughter's, Mrs. Minnie Treman, in Rochester last week. The friends with the remains of the deceased will arrive on the noon train from Canastota on Tuesday and the funeral will be held in the early afternoon of that day at the M. E. church.

   The G. A. R. of this place and East Homer have an installation and supper next Saturday evening at their hall when they expect their usual enjoyable time.

   TRUTH. [local correspondent.]